Report: Floyd Mayweather took ‘cash advance payment’ ahead of Manny Pacquiao rematch, potentially ‘breached multiple contracts’ for Netflix ‘exhibition’

Deja vu… or deja disaster?

A long-awaited rematch between boxing legends Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao is once again surrounded by controversy.

The bout is currently scheduled for Sat., Sept. 19, 2026, and was expected to take place inside the expensive Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada, streaming exclusively on Netflix. But according to recent reports — and comments from Pacquiao’s team — things behind the scenes have gotten messy.

Given how notoriously difficult it was to make their first fight — which took years of failed negotiations, public back-and-forth, and constant roadblocks before finally coming together in 2015 — any kind of rematch was always going to come with a level of caution. Now, with conflicting statements and potential contract issues already surfacing, it feels like history may be repeating itself.

Over the weekend, confusion erupted when Mayweather suggested during a Las Vegas meet-and-greet that the bout might be turned into an exhibition — and that the venue was not yet finalized.

That directly contradicts what Pacquiao’s side believes they agreed to.

“As of right now, the fight is still on. There is no termination of any sort, and he has signed for a professional fight,” Jas Mathur, CEO of Manny Pacquiao Promotions, told ESPN. “Floyd Mayweather is officially in breach of his contract.”

At the center of the dispute is Mayweather’s reported push to convert the bout from a sanctioned professional fight into an exhibition — a move Pacquiao’s team claims violates the signed agreements.

Mathur didn’t hold back when addressing the situation.

“No one in these last three months has brought up anything related to the venue or related to the fight not being a professional fight,” Mathur said. “His team has had all the contracts. He signed all the contracts. We have the DocuSign proofs as well as wet signatures with his device ID, with his IP address, with everything there.”

He also suggested that Mayweather’s hesitation could be tied to protecting his undefeated record.

“If he’s scared of Manny and he does not want to put his record on the line in a professional boxing match, not only should he have never executed any of these agreements, but he should just come out right and say it because Manny ain’t scared,” Mathur added. “We wanted to do something that makes history, and he wants to come around and try to change terms last minute because he thinks he can. No, he can’t. Not happening.”

Another layer of the dispute involves Mayweather’s other commitments.

According to Mathur, one of Mayweather’s previously scheduled bouts — including a June exhibition against Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis — may conflict with terms in the Pacquiao agreement, potentially triggering additional contractual issues depending on how things are resolved.

Financial concerns have also entered the picture.

Mathur revealed that Mayweather has received payments up front for all of his upcoming bouts — and even took an advance on his purse for the Pacquiao fight.

“Floyd signed three separate agreements across different dates with different parties,” Mathur said. “He received money for all of them, and he’s also taken an advance on the Pacquiao fight.”

Despite all the noise, Pacquiao’s camp insists the fight is still on — at least for now.

Still, given the growing tension and conflicting statements, it’s fair to wonder if history is repeating itself in more ways than one.

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